


Wicked Game

by xLavenderseas



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Horror, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2020-01-24 02:29:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18562096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLavenderseas/pseuds/xLavenderseas
Summary: Zoelie had spent most her life fighting, It was in her nature. She was used to the weight of a gun in her hand, the gentle scraping from the knife in her boot. She preferred to keep her distance, a life filled with loss and pain made sure of that. But, When she arrived at the Sanctuary that changed. She saw something in their leader, some glimmer of hope beneath all the bad. For Negan, he saw a second chance. She was his new start. But, could things last or will their love just be another fatality in life's wicked game?





	1. Chapter 1

 

You are my sunshine.

She quietly sang to herself as the damp ground sank under her heavy steps, the squishing of the mud echoing in her ears. Branches snagged and scraped her skin and her shirt as she helplessly searched for the road she knew was close by. Her arms hugged her thin, shaking frame. Heavy rain poured from the sky in sheets, soaking her bloody clothes.

My only sunshine.

She whispered, the last word barely audible. A walker came out from the dense foliage, throwing its frigid hands onto her, knocking her off balance and causing her boot to slip in the mud. She fell to her knees, quickly becoming drenched and grimy as the mud began to sink in. The walker fell against her, scraping and biting endlessly, trying to sink his teeth into his next meal. She blocked the attack with her arms, only able to put up enough resistance to keep it from biting her. She needed to fight back but she just didn't have the strength. She bit the inside of her cheek and closed her eyes tightly as the walker thrashed about above her.

"Mom!" The single word echoed through the vast forest.

Her eyes snapped open as she released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She shoved upwards with all her might, sending the walker tumbling off her. She quickly rose to her feet, slipping about in the mud. She brought her boot down in the walker's face, stomping repeatedly until one couldn't tell where it's head ended and the ground began.

She straightened, her lungs desperate for air. She looked around frantically trying to find the source of the yell but found nothing. She started to laugh to herself out of disbelief and exasperation "I must be losing it."

"Mom!" The word came again, this time sounding not too far off in the distance. "Where are you?!"

She spun around in the direction of the familiar voice. "Henry!" she yelled, making her way towards the call. She grasped the nearby trees to help keep her footing, pushing away the wet and mud covered hair that clung to the side of her face. "Henry, answer me!"

"Mom!" The voice came again closer than before.

She pushed herself, now running, slipping and sliding as she did, but she was determined. She came to a halt in a clearing. This was the place, it had to be, but there was no one there. She fell to her knees as tears starting pouring from her eyes and mixed with the rain.

She rested her hands on her knees, bowing her head. Her sobs rippled through her tiny cold, aching frame, echoing off the trees. They were quickly lost in the sounds of nature as thunder rumbled and lightning tore through the sky. "Henry!" she screamed clenching her chest.

She knew he wouldn't be there, deep down, she knew. He was gone. He had been gone for a long time now. They all had been.

A feeling of warmth flooded her senses as a pair of hands grabbed her arms and gathered her from the ground. Pulling her close to their body sending shivers down her. They didn't say anything, just held her close.

She pulled away from them, taking a few steps away. She kept her head low as her breathing came in ragged gulps, she tried to catch her breath. Once again she fell to her knees, her whole body growing numb as she looked to the sky. Her eyes grew heavy. She thought to herself that maybe it wouldn't hurt to close them, if only for a minute.

Her breathing evened out, as she slipped away.

Please don't take my sunshine away.


	2. ONE

**The virus** went global, and no one knew how it traveled so quickly. There was no cure, no vaccine. The CDC was baffled, and the public had been kept in the dark. Nothing could combat the uncontrollable spreading. No one could even say how it started.

One day, everything was fine and the next it was utter chaos. Whole cities were destroyed, bombed, burned to nothing. Everyone always thought that life ended at the moment you died, but suddenly that changed. In the new world, the moment you die something changes, you come back, lacking everything that made you...you. Driven only by hunger, never held back by sickness, exhaustion, wounds, broken bones. The dead roamed the streets. They owned the world.

The dead grew in numbers, eventually, there were more of them than the living. All calls for help were soon ignored as the government and it's militaries fell. The promise of salvation, the hope that the world would one day return to its former glory had withered away just like everything else.

Within just a few months the human race, as the world had known it, was on the road to extinction. Any sense of hope or morality came crashing down with it. Those who were most hardy, violent, or resourceful had a good chance of survival. Those who depended on the kindness of others, those who held on too tight to principles of human decency...those people were among the first to die.

For Zoelie, Living was no longer an option. Living was a luxury, and in this world, it was only about surviving. Always running, always on the move, searching for a safe place to rest. Her life and family before the end was now were nothing but a fading memory. And with each memory, she lost a piece of herself.

**_____________________**

She leaned over the small bathroom sink, splashing water on her face, she let out a sigh of relief as the cool water hit her hot skin. opening her eyes she looked in the cracked bathroom mirror pushing her dirty blonde hair back out of her face, the light that filtered in through the open door of the tiny gas station bathroom highlighted the droplets that rolled down her warm ivory skin. She winced as a ringing sensation flooded her senses. Squeezing her eyes shut, she brought her hands up over her ears until the noise dissipated.

"Again?"

Standing up straight she opened her eyes, turning to her daughter. The worried look in her eyes pained her, it wasn't her job to worry about her.

"Yeah..I'm fine though," she tried her best to reassure the girl.

"I don't believe you," she said crossing her arms. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Han, you don't have to worry about me, I-"

"But I do," She raised her voice cutting her mother off without a second thought. Normally she wouldn't dare raise her voice or interrupt an adult but she had had enough. She was tired of seeing her in pain. "Y-you don't take care of yourself. You hardly eat because that means more for me and Rox. I've already lost one mom...I can't lose you too."

"Han.." she began but trailed off. She didn't know what to say. Other then she was right. Hannah had lost her biological parents early on in the outbreak, so when Zoelie had found her, she latched onto her for dear life. Literally. Hannah had quickly taken to calling her mom, much to her dismay. The word a painful reminder. But Hannah was persistent and she eventually caved and let the young girl in. Adopting her as her own.

"I'm sorry, you're right. I..I just.. you're my main priority. I can't, I won't let anything happen to you," she tried to find the right words to appease her.

Hannah sighed and looked down at the ground feeling a wave of guilt come over her. She kicked her foot back and forth, throwing up a little bit of dust. She was about to speak when she felt her mother's warm embrace. She looked up at her.

Zoelie put her hands on her cheeks and brushed her red locks back from her face. "My sweet girl. I appreciate you worry about me but this ain't my first rodeo. Now I'm gonna finish washing up, you go keep Aunt Rox company."

"Okay," She said standing back and saluting her before going back outside.

The minute Hannah was out of sight her smile fell and doubled over, sucking in air as a hunger pain came over her. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the sink to keep her up.

"Mom!"

She snapped her head up at the sound of Hannah's panic yell. She stumbled out of the bathroom, pulling her gun from its holster. She frantically looked around but they were nowhere in sight. Then came another yell and she bolted in the direction, Pure adrenaline coursed through her as she ran as fast as her feet would carry her.

She came to a skidding stop as she rounded the corner of the building. There in front of the gas station stood a handful of men with assault rifles in hand. One guy was off alone dragging Hannah now gagged to their truck where Roxanna already sat in the bed.

Something in her snapped at the sight and she saw red. She charged the man despite the fact he was at least two if her combined. She didn't care. Her gun drawn, she fired off a shot that grazed his shoulder.

He let out a pained holler as e released his hold of Hannah, his hand instantly going to his wound. He quickly turned on his heels to see who had fired the shot. Just barely catching on a glimpse of Zoelie before he was taken to the ground as she caught him off guard.

He barely had time to process what was happening before being hit in the face in rapid succession. She didn't stop after a few blows either, she kept going until his face resembled that of the works of Jackson Pollock.

The rest of the man's group was caught completely stunned at the scene before them, no one knew what to do as they watched this tiny woman beat a full-grown man into submission.

Zoelie stopped her assault, sitting back out of breath, her hands, shaking bloodied messes. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, she looked up just as the butt of a rifle made contact with her head. Knocking her out cold.

**_____________________**

"Four. Three. Two. One." she whispered softly to herself.

It wasn't long before she heard the faint melody of Easy Street once again coming from the cell next to hers. After 3 days, She had it memorized word for word and could time when it would play at this point. It would play in ten-minute intervals at a time through multiple cells, thankfully hers was not one, unfortunately, the walls weren't as thick as one might think and she could still hear it. It wasn't long before she found herself singing along and during the ten minutes, she would focus her mind on the leaky pipe. She found she could keep her mind from the darkness that surrounds her.

"We're on easy street, And it feels so sweet," she sang quietly along. "'Cause the world is 'bout a treat."

The rubbing of metal against metal rang throughout the tiny cell as the door creaked open. The sound deafening in the tiny cell.

She brought her arms up shielding her eyes from the light that entered, pulling her legs closer to her body as a way of securing herself. She didn't remove her arms from her face until she heard footsteps approaching her.

Moving her arms she looked up at the person that had come into the room. The figure blocking the light in the hallway and casting a shadow over her. He was tall, 6'1"- 6'2" at most, dark hair, a dark beard, possibly greying but she couldn't tell in the light, she just could see lighter spots. But the thing that stood out to her the most was his dark piercing eyes, she felt as though they were cutting right into her.

His attire simple, black leather jacket, loose pants, Moto boots, what looked like a white t-shirt. A belt that was clearly there more for looks than actually holding up his pants. One leather glove was on his right hand and in that hand was a baseball bat covered in barbed wire.

"Well, damn sweetheart, aren't you sight for sore eyes," he spoke, his voice deep and gravely, with a hint of what could only be described as playfulness.

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes, not saying a word. This must be him, the one they had talked about. Negan. The big man himself. Their meeting had been delayed by his absence, "taking care of business" is what the man that brought her 'food' would say.

He chuckled at her response or lack thereof, it was something he was used too. She was not the first nor would she be the last person to be held in one of his cells. But there was something different about this one, usually, his cells were reserved for people that wronged him in some way, people he needed to break. Yet, here she was. He had never laid eyes on this woman before and Negan was certainly one to remember a pretty face.

Negan kneeled down, resting his bat between his legs and leaning on it. "Now don't be shy. Here I'll introduce myself first. I'm Negan."

He waited a few seconds for a response but she only continued to glare at him. He ran a hand through his scruff sighing. Standing back up, he turned to a man that stood directly outside the door. "D. Why is she in a cell?"

"One of the groups brought her and two others back from a supply run. Said that they had found them on the side of the road. She's a threat." The man answered.

Negan raised a brow looking back at her and then back at him. "A threat?" Negan said trying his best to hide his amusement. "Dwight. Tell me, does she look like a threat to you?"

"N-no," Dwight answered him, stuttering. "But she did put Keith in the infirmary. Doc doesn't think he'll make it. She did a number on his face."

"With what? Her fists?" Negan asked sarcastically.

"Yes, Sir."

"Really?" Negan said in disbelief. He couldn't believe it, this tiny woman was able to put a large man like Keith in the infirmary. They had to be messing with him.

Turning back around, he held his bat up to her face, pressing the Barb's into the bottom of her chin, making her look up at him. He wanted her to know just how serious he was. "I'm not gonna ask again. What's your name?"

"Zoelie."

"Zoelie, that's a really pretty name. I've never heard it before." He smirked. "So you put one of my men in the infirmary?"

"Yes," she said, keeping her answers short.

"Care to explain why?"

"He put his hands on my kid."

The words made him grit his teeth. Kids were one of Negan's soft spots, that and a pretty face. He kept his eyes on her and motioned for Dwight to come forward. "I see. Dwight, where are the people she was brought in with?"

"Cells 8 and 10." He answered quickly.

"I want them released. But don't bring them over here yet. I wanna have a talk with Ms. Zoelie." Negan harshly ordered looking over his shoulder at him. "now."

"Yes, sir!" Dwight said before swiftly walking away to do as told.

Negan turned his full attention back on Zoelie, offering his ungloved hand out for her to take. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I would like to say I am very sorry for the trouble my men have caused you." He apologized looking down at her sympathetically but the emotion didn't reach his eyes.

She stared at his hand and then to his face, her green hazel eyes locking with his dark hazel eyes. The look in his pinned her in place, the utter lack of emotion in them sent a shiver down her spine. Zoelie wasn't afraid of many people but just the way this man carried himself scared the hell out of her. Something in her told her that if she didn't take her hand, he'd surely get her up by force. So, she hesitantly reached her hand up and took hold of his.

He pulled her from the ground quickly, not taking into account how little she weighed at this point, the force causing her to fall into him. He grabbed her arms firmly to steady her. She didn't look up at him, she wouldn't. Keeping her head down she could feel his eyes burning into her.

He tightened his grip around her biceps so she couldn't pull away. Leaning his head down he whispered in her ear, in a low, gravelly voice. "If you wanted to get close to me you could've just said so."

She felt a shiver go down her spine but this time not in fear. He was so close she could feel his breath on her neck. She shoved him away from her and took a step back, glowering.

"Don't touch me," she said through gritted teeth. Holding her hands close to her body. It was then Negan noticed the bruising on her knuckles and he knew just then what Dwight had told him was true. It sparked his curiosity.

"You are feisty. I love it." His lips curled upward into a large toothy grin. He was proud of himself. "I'm only joking darling. But honestly, I would not mind getting close to you." He spoke looking her up and down. "Would not mind at all."

She scrunched her nose, her face reflecting the disgust she felt by his words and actions. But her reaction only seemed to fuel him. She opened her mouth to say something but was stopped when she heard footsteps fast approaching.

"Mom!"

Zoelie snapped her head towards the noise, catching her breath as she laid eyes on her daughter for the first time in three days. "Han."

Hannah didn't wait for an invitation, she was past Negan and in Zoelie's arms in a matter of seconds. She nuzzled her face into her, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Zoelie returned her embrace, wrapping her arms firmly around her shoulders, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Her features softened as she looked down at her daughter. She moved back and cupped her cheeks giving her a once over.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked gently.

"No," she said, her tone distressing. She moved her mother's hands from her cheeks and buried her face back into her sniffling and trying to contain her cries.

"Shh..." she tried her best to soothe her. She looked up from her and past Negan where their other companion stood next to Dwight. She removed a hand from Hannah's back and held it out for her "Rox?"

"Oh, Zoe." Roxanna sniffled walking over to the girls and taking her hand.

"What a sweet family reunion." Negan interrupted, a guinea smile tugging at the corners of his lips at the scene in front of him. It truly warmed his heart. "Now, I'm gonna have Laura here take you all to get cleaned up and get some food in ya. After I would like you to come and have a chat with me?"

"We would just rather leave now," Zoelie said bitterly.

Negan grinned and let out a chuckle, "I'm sorry but that is not an option. Now, I hate to be rude but I have some business to attend to. Laura, you know your orders."

Negan turned and left the cell before any of them could protest. Dwight followed behind him as he signaled for him too. Dwight throwing one last apologetic glance their way before disappearing up the stairs. Laura stepped into view, she didn't make eye contact and was rather aloof. Like this was all an inconvenience to her, as if she actually had something better to do.

"Follow me." She spoke to them curtly.

Zoelie and Roxanna shared a look realizing the gravity of their situation. They were hostages. It was almost as if on cue 'Easy Street' filled the hallway and this time, it didn't make her feel safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	3. TWO

 

"Zoelie right?"

She turned her attention to the door where a man stood. He was a somewhat tall, lanky man with graying brown hair, and maybe around his mid-50s. He wore a lab coat and was dressed fairly nice.

"Yes," she answered immediately putting her guard up.

"It's nice to officially meet you, Zoelie. I'm Dr. Carson but you can just call me Emmett if that makes you feel more comfortable. I know you're probably a little freaked out and must have a lot of questions," Dr. Carson introduced himself, his voice was soft and low sensing how tense she was.

"A little freaked out?" she scoffed.

"Fair enough," Emmett sat down in the chair beside the bed and pulling out a tiny flashlight from his shirt pocket. Leaning forward, he put a hand on her forehead and she instantly jerked away. "You were in pretty bad shape when they brought you in. I just need to check a few things."

"Okay," she said hesitantly relaxing as he gently rested his hand on her head and shone the flashlight in her eye, checking both of them before sitting back and putting away the flashlight.

"Everything looks good. I'm going to ask you a few questions. Just to get a good idea of your medical history. That alright?"

"Yeah, ask away."

"Do you have any allergies and do you take any medications?" He clicked his pen, ready to take notes.

"I have a peanut allergy, other than that no. For medications, I'm supposed to take Antidepressants and an SSRI for my PTSD, but I haven't taken them for a long time. Obviously. Also I 'need' an inhaler, but it's not a big deal," Emmett made note of what she said. "I see. What do you need the inhaler for?"

"asthma," She answered as she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back some. She pulled her legs up onto the table, crossing them.

"Ah," He nodded taking note. "On to the basics. Age?"

"Is this really necessary?" she asked, impatient and wanting out from under Negan's intense stare.

"Just answer the question." Negan's voice came from the doorway, turning her head, she glanced in his direction. He stood there leaning against the doorframe, his bat hung loosely in his hand at his side.

"37. I'm 5'4", about 130 lbs give or take, been a while since I weighed myself. Not sexually active, I do drink, I smoke on occasion," she clicked her tongue, looking at Emmett who was writing down what she was saying, "I miss Anything?" she asked with a slight smirk.

Negan just looked at her, his eyes filled with curiosity. "You're a bit of a smartass."

"Never claim to not be."

"True," He said walking over to where she sat, looking her up and down as he did. A smirk played on his lips as he looked down at her, "Laura?"

"Sir?" Laura asked stepping into the room.

"Hurry things up, I don't have all day to wait around," He said as he turned away from Zoelie and walking to the door, whistling to himself, swinging his bat up to rest on his shoulder. He slowed down a bit once he was in the door frame and looked back, stealing one last glance at her before turning the corner, whistles echoing down the hall as he made it further away.

"Yes, Sir."

Zoelie got up from the exam table and bided goodbye to Dr. Carson before following Laura out into the hallway where Hannah and Roxanna stood waiting.

"Come on, we'll go get you some supplies," Laura said already halfway down the hallway.

\-----------------

"Welcome to the marketplace."

Laura leads them into a large room bustling with noise. Zoelie's gaze came to rest on the rows of tables with people waiting. Many tables were filled with various household items like pillows, blankets, rugs, Candles, lamps, and food tables were selling bread, vegetables, canned goods, and meets.

There were a number of visitors milling about. The aroma of fresh herbs and ripening berries mixed with fragrances of homemade soaps and candles filled Zoelie's senses as she drew a deep breath.

"What they writing down?" Hannah asked Laura.

"Whenever someone 'buys' something they get points reduced," Laura explained. "Here we work on a point system much like how things worked before everything went to hell. You work for points and with those points, you can buy the things you need with them. Not everything costs the same amount of points though. Luxury items and medicine cost more...unless you're one of Negan's men, then you don't have points and you get everything handed to you."

"Oh, that doesn't seem fair," Hannah said.

"Yeah, our jobs are harder. We leave the sanctuary and we protect the sanctuary," Laura said crossing her arms.

"What happens if you don't have enough points for what you need?" Zoelie asked looking at Laura.

"Then you don't get it."

"Oh...well, we clearly don't have points."

"I know, but the first time is on the house, Go pick out some clothes, just tell the people at the table you're with me," Laura said grabbing a wicker basket from a nearby table, she went around to various tables and filled it with fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, a few cans of stuff, as they went to the clothing table.

Hannah grabbed the first things she saw in her size which was a mustard yellow oversized hoodie, black jeans, and dark brown timberland boots. She also grabbed a white T-shirt and grey sweatpants to sleep in. Roxanna opted for just grabbing a light blue v-neck top, pair of blue jeans and black ankle boots. Zoelie was hesitant at first, she didn't want to owe these people anything.

"Mom look at this!" Hannah exclaimed holding up a t-shirt with a cat on it.

"Isn't that cute," Zoelie chuckled at how excited she was over something so simple. She sighed and caved grabbing a red and black plaid shirt, blank cami, and dark blue jeans. She didn't need new boots because hers were still in pretty decent shape.

"Laura, what's that?" Roxanna asked as she approached them. She pointed to the other side of the room where sheets were hung up like a divider.

"That's the sleeping quarters for the workers," Laura said. "Let's go, we have more to do."

She lead them out of the marketplace and down a string of corridors before coming to the 'shower room'. The room was large with old rusty lockers that lined one wall while mirrors and sinks lined the side opposite of them, wooden benches were placed in rows in the middle of the room and on the back wall were 5 shower stalls.

"I'll be waiting outside," Laura said as she stepped out into the hall.

Zoelie walked over, setting her things down on one of the benches and grabbing a towel that lay folded nicely on a shelf by the shower stalls. She stepped into the nearest stall and closed the curtain before she began to undress. She quickly discarded her clothing and turned on the water letting it warm up a bit before stepping in. She let out a slight laugh as she brought her hand under the showerhead, it had been so long, a year to be exact, since she had a hot shower.

She stepped into the shower and allowed the hot water to soothe her aching muscles, the steam from the shower soon became thick and filled the air as the water began to wash away the dirt and blood that clung to her. In the next stall she could hear Hannah let out of a laugh as the water hit her. Once the water started to turn cold she turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her body. She quickly dressed in the clothes she had gotten from the marketplace before walking out of the shower stall and made her way over to the bench where Roxanna and Hanna stood already finished with their showers, drying her hair with a towel.

"What's the plan?" Roxanna asked sitting down on the edge of a bench, pulling on one of her boots.

"There is no plan," Zoelie sighed pulling on a new, clean plaid button-up.

"So, we're just gonna let them keep us as hostages?" Roxanna scoffed.

"Well by definition we're not really Hostages." Hannah corrected her. "We're more of detainees or prisoners."

"Whatever Han," she snapped at the girl before turning back to Zoelie. "They have no reason to keep us here."

"Well...mom did almost kill one of their ow-"

"They were trying to kidnap us to begin with!" She exclaimed cutting her off.

Zoelie turned her back to Roxanna, pulling her damp hair into a ponytail, she bit her bottom lip as she mulled over what to do. "For now we need to just keep our heads down, do as we're told." 

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Roxanna huffed crossing her arms.

"I'm only thinking about our survival. We don't know who these people are or what they want. And the leader..." she paused thinking back to their earlier encounter. " he's not normal."

"That's even more of a reason to get the fuck out of here!' Roxanna exclaimed

Zoelie turned facing her. "Stop it. You wanted me to make a plan, come to a decision and this is it. Now, Stop." Her tone was forceful, her mouth set in a tight line. Her whole demeanor changed in a split second and only momentarily she resembled the great colonel she once had been.

Zoelie's words instantly shut Roxanna up. She threw her hands up in defeat before turning away to finish getting dressed.

"Good you're dressed," Laura said walking into the room. "Negan would like to speak to you now."

The girls began to gather their things with Laura stopped them. "He only wants to speak to you," she said pointing at Zoelie.

"Me? Why me?" she asked confused.

\------------------------------------

"Take a seat anywhere."

She sat down on the large black leather couch and looked around the room absorbing her surroundings. The room was nice. Not at all what she had expected. It looked as though it had been professionally decorated. Four poster bed, that was made up nicely. A variety of small end tables with lights, two black and white chevron patterned chairs that were decorated with brown fluffy pillows sat opposite of the couch. In between the couch and the chairs sat a metal glass-top coffee table. A variety of tables scattered around the room. Some had lights on them, others held decorative clutter items. Pictures and a variety of animal heads lined the walls around them and the ugliest chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. There was even a fireplace on the wall behind them. Everything was in place, perfectly staged.

Negan came up from behind her and took a seat in the chair closest to the door. He could see her looking around the room. He leaned back, one hand resting in his lap, the other resting on the armrest, and his right leg was crossed over his left. He was waiting for her to notice him but quickly grew impatient. He cleared his throat to draw her attention. She brought her glance forward and sat back in her seat, hands placed in her lap.

"Can I get you anything? Water? Food? Name it and it's yours," Negan offered with a big grin.

Silence. It was so quiet you could probably hear a needle drop.

Negan glanced away. "No, okay."

He cleared his throat once again and leaned forward in his seat, his eyes focusing on her.

"Zoelie, right?"

More silence followed.

"You don't have to answer, I'd never forget a pretty name like that, especially when it belongs to such a pretty face."

Zoelie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, scrunching up her nose in disgust at his poor attempt at flirting. Her reaction only seemed to fuel him though as a grin spread across his face and he chuckled.

"You really aren't going to say anything? Wow," he said in amazement. He sat back shaking his head.

She narrows her eyes at him and sat forward in her seat, "What do you want?"

"So, she can speak!" he grinned even wider. "We'll get to that later. I want to know about you. I Know! I want to play a game!"

"What kind of game?" she questioned tilting her head in curiosity.

"Twenty questions. Well, not so much twenty questions, maybe 5. It's pretty fucking simp-"

"I know what twenty questions is," she said cutting him off. She sat back a bit and crossed her arms staring at him in confusion.

Negan nodded trying to keep his cool after she had interrupted him. "Alright, first off. You will not interrupt me. Second, I will be the one asking questions. You will not ask me a single fucking thing, understand?"

"Alright. Fair enough, I suppose," she said.

"Good. Good. Where are you from?" He questioned.

"Portland, Maine," She answered.

"Really? Interesting. What brought you out this way?"

"We were told DC was safe or at least safer...but it looks like they were wrong."

"Yeah...DC went to shit quick...So um tell me, what did you do before the world went to shit?"

"I was a detective, before that I was a Marine."

"Really? That's interesting," he said genuinely. "How long did you serve?"

"14 years, joined right out of high school."

"Impressive. We could use someone like you. What about that girl with you? I believe you called her Rox."

"She was also a detective. We were partners."

"Nice. So you both know what you're doing. That's good. I could use people like you."

"I suppose...Negan?" she asked as if asking for permission to speak.

"Yes?"

"When can we leave?" she asked crossing her arms.

"Well...you won't be," he said grinning.

"Why not?" she asked, her voice straining as she tried to keep her cool.

"You put one of my men in the infirmary. That is something I will not overlook."

She scoffed and looked away. "This is...your men attacked us first, I was just defending protecting my child."

"So I've heard. But that's coming from you. My men tell a different story."

"Of course they're going to tell you something different," she got up from her spot on the couch and paced the room, running her hands through her hair. "This is unbelievable."

"Zoelie," Negan said softly, standing up from his spot directly in front of her stopping her in her tracks.

"This isn't fair," she said through clenched teeth. "You can't keep us here."

"I can and I will," he said, smirking and leaning forward getting eye level with her. "Do you understand."

How she wished she could wipe that smirk off his face. She was growing more and more annoyed and irritated. "You have no right."

"Have I introduced you to Lucille yet?" His grin got wider, but it didn't convey happiness, rather it sent a shiver down her spine and sent a knot to the pit of her stomach.

"No, you haven't," she said, hoping he couldn't see the hairline cracks in her fearless facade. Negan walked around to behind the couch and picked up his bat from the table it rested on. Zoe raised a brow, 'dear lord this man is crazy,' was all she could think. "Huh?"

"This is Lucille and she is awesome!" He exclaimed in an almost child-like manner. He walked back over to the couches slow and determined.

"Lucille is a baseball bat?" She questioned in complete disbelief. The way he looked at that moment holding Lucille, the awestruck gleam in his eyes genuinely fascinated her.

"You see Lucille here she helps keep things in line. You do anything...and I do mean anything that goes against me or this group...and you and Lucille will be spending some very up close and personal time together," he said bringing Lucille down, holding her inches from Zoelie's face. "So you will stay here and you will do as you are told. Do you understand?"

All she could do is give a nod. It was then she saw it, the fascination, the power he had, and the power she lost.

"Now you see, things work a little differently here. We have rules. A system," Negan said beginning to explain how things worked at the sanctuary but she didn't hear a word after system. His voice became background noise to her as she zoned out.

\-------------------------

"Zoelie?" Roxanna snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Huh?"

"We were going over the pros and cons of staying here."

"Oh, right...yeah sorry," she blinked a few times and pushed back her hair. " So what do we have?"

"Umm Pros gives us a safe, dry, mildly clean place to stay..um cons the point system is pretty is pretty messed up...we're sleeping on cots surrounded by a bunch of people that I doubt we can really trust," Hannah lowered her voice as she began to list off things.

"Oh and this is basically a cult," Zoelie added on.

" yeah 'safe'," Roxanna said rolling her eyes.

"Well, we are," Hannah mumbled crossing her arms.

"Whatever," Roxanna scoffed and plopped down on her cot.

Zoelie laid down on her cot and looked up at the ceiling. "We should just try and get some sleep...It's late and the last thing I want to do is disrupt other people."

"Fine," Roxie scoffed laying down on her cot and turning her back to Hannah and Zoelie. "Night." 

"Can I sleep with you?" Hannah asked sitting down beside Zoelie.

"Sure," Zoelie smiled and rolled over onto her side as Hannah snuggled into bed with her. Zoelie wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on top of hers.

"We are safe right, mom?"

"Yeah...we are." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Kudos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> I will say this chapter diffidently served as an informational chapter more than anything.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the Prologue chapter of the rewrite of my The Walking Dead Fic! Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


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